8 Game-Changing Gear Choices For Bikepacking

all right so it's been a very busy spring and summer there's been a bunch of awesome trips that I've been on and well there's been a few items in my kit list where if I was to leave them at home uh I would be pretty disappointed and in this video I'm going to share those items with you let's do it [Music] so while some of us bring maybe nothing or perhaps just sit on some clothing at camp and others prefer carrying a lightweight chair I find a simple foam seat strikes a nice balance by adding enough comfort for not much extra weight or bulk after I popped a hole in an inflatable seat pad a few years back I wrote off the idea of having a seat for camp but after Logan published a guide to lightweight camp chairs I was like all right maybe I should try this again but camp chairs are often bulky even those lightweight versions so I recently purchased this two ounce Big Agnes twister cane and it's a pretty darn perfect see I like this particular pad because it rolls instead of folds and it offers a half inch of padding and it's super lightweight all for 25 USD plus the manufacturing process is eco-friendly yes sure you could buy a piece of foam from Uline but you get the point more times than not I leave home without a ground cloth because well the ones that the manufacturers provide are really expensive but I recently started uh testing a new tent and I thought it was an excellent time uh to try Tyvek again and it has not disappointed so first and foremost uh Tyvek is a natural barrier keeping water from penetrating the floor of your tent either from wedding rain or perhaps sleeping in an area with moisture in the ground but the nice thing about Tyvek is that it also helps extend your vestibule into a more usable space it also works well if you just want to lay it down on the ground to stretch after day of cycling plus if you have a problem with say a dry bag or simply need to keep something dry just wrap it in Tyvek will keep moisture out Tyvek dries fast packs down small and weighs and costs next to nothing all right so I just want to take a quick break to let you all know that this video is supported in part by Surly bikes early they make serious steel bikes for people that don't take themselves too seriously they make bikes that are versatile and durable they can be dressed up or down for commuting bike packing at being gravel grinding or really whatever you call fun on two wheels with 15 original dirt friendly platforms they offer something that fits just about anyone for any style of riding so for more on Siri make sure to hit this card right here you can also find a link in the description below alright so if you know me you know that I'm dedicated to disposing of human waste properly be it in a bag when it's required or digging a hole if you're doing the ladder I found that the new packed light kit is really perfect for bike Packers so this new version is much more minimal than the previous kit it packs down really well but better yet it actually stores 12 uh packed wipes and plenty of mycelium tabs built into this small trowel plus the trowel does a fantastic job of digging cat holes it's undoubtedly the best trial that I've ever ever used and if you're wondering the mycelium tabs actually help break down poop and those wipes faster while also killing bacteria so if you're interested in learning more about this whole system I did an interview with one of the founders of pact last year and that is linked below all right so I'm getting excited because this is likely my favorite piece of gear that I've added to my kit over the last year and I'm wearing it right now this is a sun shirt so riding at elevation and in super sunny conditions here in Colorado a breathable 50 UPF plus hooded shirt protects me from those elements Sun shirts are also a great way to layer when things also get chilly all right so I've been testing two shirts this year the 70 usd codepaxi Sombra and a bay leaf hooded Sun shirt that cost me 24 USD so I wanted to see what the difference was between a budget and not so budget offering obviously this is a pretty small sample size and both actually performed pretty well but the Sombra definitely had a better overall fit and it's lighter and more breathable which has me definitely picking the Sombra over the bay leaf offering but if you are on a budget the Bay Leaf shirt certainly gets the job done either way the sun shirt is definitely the way to go in my opinion I hate that feeling of sunscreen all over my body so this definitely helps negate that while also being a multi-purpose layer I brushed off down pants for the longest time because well long underwear would always suffice however Donald pants offer a few essential improvements to my kit first they're much warmer than a Long John and offer more cozy Comfort when you get to Camp they also allow me to bring a lighter weight sleeping bag so if temps are say super cold I'll keep the pants on and stay warm throughout the night helping create a more I guess modular sleep system and I mean just look at them they're just begging to be talked about and when I get them on they kind of make me want to Boogie so while they're not cheap since they will only be used for bike packing trips in the occasional dance party they should last a long time I'm currently using the Mountain Hardware Ghost Whisperer which are 275 USD and Logan and Virginia put together a great list of down pants to consider which can also be found below so in my quest to find the most comfortable seat system I started introducing wool boxers to the mix I usually start my trips with a chamois either a short or a bib and then I move on to the wool boxers after a while to just change my seat bone pressure points the wool brief also doubles as a nice layer to change into after a long day in the saddle and works exceptionally well underneath my down pants or of course if it's warmer underneath my riding shorts that I use during the day so I look for a brief with minimal seams around the crotch and seat bone region which just helps reduce any unwanted chafing these are some Borealis briefs which I believe are no longer longer being made which is a bummer because they fit me really well so if you have any suggestions on similar World briefs definitely leave it in the comment section below alright so I've been using a Dopp kit of sorts for my bike packing trip for the longest time keeping all my toiletries and cooking doodads in a nice type container is essential I used to put these items in a stuff sack that collected everything in the past but it was really tough to see what was actually in it so when I got my hands on these Mountain Laurel design packing cubes and started using them for storage I quickly came to enjoy the shape and overall usability it really made finding things a cinch and it packs really well into my frame bag so this medium holds almost all of my stuff I need like coffee oatmeal salsa parmesan cheese lighter aquamira tabs Wet Ones toothbrush toothpaste and so on in this small one I use for Batteries cords and other electronics overall I'm a big fan of these sortable cubes giving me some organization in my bike packing kit so earlier this year I spoke about the inreach messenger being my go-to satellite device I need a satellite device that is reliable and that is quick to use because I've got a family and if something happens I really do need to be in touch with them as quick as I can but one of the neat features of the messenger is its communication with Garmin Edge devices and the ability to update loved ones while cycling you can literally press a few buttons on the head unit to send a message so I use the two combined systems for bike packing trips I also use them when I go on longer day rides say in more remote areas but I've also been using this Garmin Edge 1040 solar for a bunch of trips this season and while this device has a lot of features I don't use the one that is super incredible is the solar charging feature where it yes charges itself from the Sun pretty neat so I've used this in I'd say the lower February light in Arizona and it didn't need a charge over a five day trip I also used it on a recent five-day trip and it ended with 15 battery life left so this is definitely a game changer when it comes to head units and this is definitely why I was using the Garmin etrex 32 for the longest time because you could swap batteries out but this this solves a lot of issues so stay tuned for a full review later this summer all right so those are eight things that well I absolutely love using on my bike packing trips and if you're rocking something similar or have a standout piece of gear that you absolutely love please leave it in the comment section below so if you like what you saw in this video and want to see more like it please hit that subscribe button and notification Bell and consider joining the bike packing Collective support from our members to stay in this Channel and really everything we do at bikepacking.com the collective has a lot of awesome perks including the twice Annual Bike packing Journal so for more details click on the card in the top right corner or also find a link below as always thank you all so much for watching and until next time pedal further [Music] foreign

Channel: BIKEPACKING.com

Views: 87,756

Keywords: bikepacking, bike packing, Cycling

Id: n7YXJoU18PI

Length: 9min 31sec (571 seconds)

Published: Thu Aug 03 2023